Mallorcan imitation pearls
Mallorcan imitation pearls , also known colloquially as Mallorca pearls , are artificial pearls produced using a specific process that imitate the shape of natural pearls and were originally made exclusively on Mallorca .
An artificial, tiny, high-pressure hardened core is attached to a special bracket. Then this core is immersed up to 30 times in a mother-of-pearl pulp, which does not consist of ground mother-of-pearl , but of fauna particles from the sea, such as fish scales and shell sand. Each layer is individually heated by hand using a gas burner so that the individual molecules of the marine mixture combine to form larger molecules ( polymerize ).
This process not only guarantees a perfect, compact fusion, but also preserves the color of the pearls. The addition of colored minerals gives them every shade and tint. When all layers have been applied, the new pearl is carefully sanded.
After that, the pearl can hardly be distinguished from a real mother-of-pearl pearl. It feels just like the real pearl on the skin, is resistant to sweat, make-up, perfume, heat and cold and can withstand high mechanical forces.
Mallorcan imitation pearls are currently produced mainly by the companies Perlas Majórica (in Manacor ) and Perlas Orquídea (in Montuïri ) on Mallorca. They try to protect themselves from inferior imitations with certificates of authenticity.
history
- In 1897 the Aachen needle manufacturer Eduard Friedrich Hugo Heusch (1865–1937) began to imitate natural pearls in Barcelona .
- In 1902 production was relocated to Manacor on Mallorca.
- 1948 The Perlas Majórica company employs more than a thousand people on the island. At the same time, the monopoly of the Heusch family expires . Numerous other companies also tried production; however, only three of them stayed in Manacor.
- In 1997 Perlas Majórica was transferred to Alpha Invest Holding .
